gaming

The Xbox game, The Perfect Woman, isn’t for the faint of heart. Although the game is based on vapid personality quizzes often found in the pages of women’s magazines, it delivers biting social commentary.

The synopsis:

You begin life in your mother’s womb, and already you’re expected to meet the demands of society. This game uses the Kinect to capture your silhouette as you match the poses on the screen. Whether you succeed or fail in this initial test, you’ll be faced with similar choices at every chapter. Some choices will come easier than others. As you progress through each stage of your life, you’ll be expected to strike different poses at different paces–that is, until, the time of your death. Only you can dictate your path.

What I love:

This game gets mega points for inclusivity. The women portrayed come from a variety of backgrounds. It features story lines that include women from all walks of life. The art is juvenile, which actually works to the game’s advantage. The social commentary is witty and biting. Even the trailer for this game is so incredibly self-aware that I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The physicality of the game coupled with the absurdity of the story make this perfect fodder for a women-centered game night.

The opportunities:

This game is short. Each life cycle lasts maybe ten minutes of game play. The choices at each stage also don’t change based on the starting point–only the difficulty of each path is impacted. In addition, some of the social commentary is so brief in nature, that it lacks the depth that many of the topics deserve. Granted, that’s part of the joke–the entire premise that you can decide your path in life through a sort of physical personality test jumps right past the edge of the absurd. But still, I’d love for this game to be a bit more robust. Topics such as trans issues and religion are glossed over so briefly that it takes away from some of that self-awareness that sells the game in the trailer.

Final thoughts:

This game is worth buying if you have a purpose in mind for it. Think of it like a party game. You don’t want to invest in it if you don’t plan on playing it with guests regularly. If you do purchase, it will lead to hilariously good times.